Anchoring device for securing an end piece of a cord wound up onto a storage reel

Abstract: The device comprises at least one through hole (6) formed adjacent to a perimetric edge (4a) of one of the disc-shaped flanges (4) of a storage reel (2) carrying a cord (5) wound up on a core (3). The end portion (7) of the cord (5) slidably passes through the hole (6) and is fastened to the outer surface (4b) of the flange (4) by a clip (8) comprising a wire element (11) made of harmonic steel which is provided with terminal appendages (10) rotatably engaged to articulation seats (9a) defined in corresponding tabs (9) projecting externally of the flange (4). The wire element (11) is bent according to consecutively opposite portions (11a) so as to form a pair of retaining loops (12) acting on the cord end piece (7a) for holding it against the flange (4), as well as a counter-loop (13) acting against the flange (4) in order to generate an elastic reaction in the clip (8) thereby causing the end piece (7a) to be held fast by the retaining loops (12) themselves.

Description: The present invention relates to a device for securing an end piece of a cord wound up onto a storage reel, of the type comprising: at least one engagement seat formed close to a circumferential edge of a disc-shaped flange of a storage reel, said engagement seat being arranged to slidably engage an end portion of a cord wound up onto a core carrying the disc-shaped flange at the end thereof for fixing the circumferential positioning of the end portion itself relative to the reel; at least one clip secured to an outer surface of the side flange and arranged to engage an end piece of said cord in order to fasten it to the outer surface itself. US-A-2 265 393 discloses a clip for clamping elongated or plate-like elements against a rest surface (4) for said elements, comprising: a threadlike spring element (11) exhibiting a pair of terminal appendages (10), said threadlike element being bent according to consecutively opposite portions (11a) lying in a common plane parallel to the plane of said rest surface in order to form: at least one retaining loop (12) arranged to operatively engage said elongated or plate-like element and secure it to said rest surface (4b); at least one counter-loop (13) on the opposite side from the retaining loop (12) and arranged to interact in opposition relationship against said rest surface (4) for elastically counteracting moving apart of the retaining loop from said surface (4), following the insertion of said elongated or plate-like element between the rest surface (4) and retaining loop. The invention is in particular but not restrictively referred to storage reels of the type used for storage and transportation of cords, generally made of a wire or similar threadlike manufactured articles of an overall diameter in the range of 0.5 to 1.5 mm, which cords are usually used in making reinforcing structures of elastomeric material articles, such as motor-vehicle tyres, conveyor belts, pipes and the like. It is known that cords used in the reinforcing structures of elastomeric material articles are produced by suitable cord-making machines which also carry out winding of the cord as it is produced onto an appropriate storage reel. This reel lends itself to be then used for the cord storage and during the transportation steps from the production station to the places where the cord is to be actually used and the reel will then become a proper supply reel for the machine designed to make reinforcing structures provided with said cord. The reel essentially comprises a substantially cylindrical core onto which the cord being produced is wound forming coils disposed consecutively in side-by-side relation and overlapped pack-wise. In order to carry out an appropriate holding of the coil pack, associated with the opposite ends of the core are two disc-shaped flanges concentric with the core, the outer diameter of which substantially defines the maximum diameter that the coil pack formed with the cord wrapped onto the reel can take. Also associated with at least one of the disc-shaped flanges of the reel is a device adapted to conveniently retain the end portion of the cord in order to avoid the coil undoing, following loosening of the cord-winding tension. In the connection, reels presently in use essentially provide that close to the outer circumferential edge of at least one of the flanges a through hole be formed for the purpose of slidably engaging the end portion of the cord in order to fix the circumferential positioning thereof relative to the reel by means of said device. The cord end piece coming out of the through hole towards the outside of the disc-shaped flange is engaged to a clip essentially consisting of a thin plate element made of harmonic steel (that is manganese-silicon steel) material fastened to the disc-shaped flange through clipping of the circumferential edge of said flange to one end of the thin plate element. The cord end piece is therefore engaged by forced fitting between the outer surface of the disc-shaped flange and the clip, so that it is fixedly retained by effect of friction generated by the spring reaction of the clip itself. In order to facilitate interchangeability of the clip which is subjected to frequent breakages in that submitted to important flexion stresses at the fitting of the clipped circumferential edge of the flange, devices have been conceived in which the clip is fastened by means of its terminal appendages snap-fitted into an undercut formed by the circumferential edge of the disc-shaped flange turned outwardly. In accordance with the present invention, it has been found that if the clip is made of a threadlike element of an harmonic steel material conveniently shaped, an important improvement is achieved in the distribution of the inner stresses in the clip and an easy and cheap interchangeability of the clip in case of breaking is obtained. The present invention in one aspect relates to a storage reel in particular for cords and other threads, especially wires, comprising: a substantially cylindrical core, onto which at least one cord is wound so as to form a plurality of coils disposed in side by side relation and overlapped pack-wise according to a predetermined tension; a pair of disc-shaped flanges for holding said coils, disposed at the opposite ends of the core and each exhibiting a circumferential edge concentric with the core itself; at least one engagement seat formed close to said edge of at least one of said disc-shaped flanges and arranged to slidably engage an end portion of the cord wound up onto the core, for fixing the circumferential positioning thereof relative to said reel; at least one clip fastened to the outer surface of a disc-shaped flange and arranged to engage an end piece of said cord and secure it to the outer surface itself; said reel further comprising: a pair of supporting tabs projecting from the outer surface of at least one of said disc-shaped flanges, at mutually facing positions, for pivotally mounting a corresponding clip, and a clip comprising: a threadlike spring element exhibiting a pair of terminal appendages disposed at opposite positions and rotatably engaged, according to a pivot axis parallel to the outer surface of the flange, to corresponding articulation seats each arranged in one of said supporting tabs, said threadlike element being bent according to consecutively opposite portions lying in a common plane disposed parallelly close to said outer surface, in order to form: at least one retaining loop extending substantially in a radial direction to the pivot axis and arranged to operatively engage the end piece of the cord and secure it to the outer surface of the side flange; at least one counter-loop projecting radially of the pivot axis on the opposite side from the retaining loop and arranged to interact in opposition relationship against the disc-shaped flange for elastically counteracting moving apart of the retaining loop from said outer surface, following the insertion of the cord end piece between the outer surface and retaining loop themselves. In greater detail, said threadlike spring element preferably exhibits an overall linear extension included between 80 mm and 120 mm, and a sectional profile of a diameter in the range of 1 to 1.5 mm. Advantageously, said retaining loop has an apex spaced apart a distance included between 15 mm and 18 mm from said pivot axis. In turn, the counter-loop has an apex spaced apart a distance included between 5 mm and 10 mm from said pivot axis. The present invention in a second aspect relates to a device for clamping elongated or plate-like elements against a rest surface for said elements, comprising: holding means formed in said rest surface, at mutually facing positions, for engaging an appropriate clip to said surface, and a clip to be engaged to said holding means, comprising: a threadlike spring element exhibiting a pair of terminal appendages disposed at opposite positions and rotatably engaged, according to a pivot axis parallel to said rest surface, to corresponding seats arranged in said holding means, said threadlike element being bent along consecutively opposite portions lying in a common plane parallel to the plane of said rest surface in order to form: at least one retaining loop extending substantially in a radial direction to the pivot axis and arranged to operatively engage said elongated or plate-like element and secure it to said rest surface; at least one counter-loop projecting radially of the pivot axis on the opposite side from the retaining loop and arranged to interact in opposition relationship against said rest surface for elastically counteracting moving apart of the retaining loop from said surface following the insertion of the elongated or plate-like element between the rest surface and retaining loop. The present invention in a third aspect relates to a clip for clamping elongated or plate-like elements against a rest surface for said elements, comprising: a threadlike spring element exhibiting a pair of terminal appendages disposed at opposite positions and according to a pivot axis parallel to said rest surface, for being rotatably engaged into corresponding holding means, formed in said rest surface at mutually facing positions, said threadlike element being bent according to consecutively opposite portions lying in a colon plane parallel to the plane of said rest surface in order to form: at least one retaining loop extending substantially in a radial direction to the pivot axis and arranged to operatively engage said elongated or plate-like element and secure it to said rest surface; at least one counter-loop projecting radially of the pivot axis on the opposite side from the retaining loop and arranged to interact in opposition relationship against said rest surface for elastically counteracting moving apart of the retaining loop from said surface, following the insertion of said elongated or plate-like element between the rest surface and retaining loop. Further features and advantages will become more apparent from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of a device for anchoring an end piece of a cord wound up onto a storage reel according to the present invention. This description is given hereinafter by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a storage reel with which a device embodying the invention is associated; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of a clip associated with the device in question. Referring to the drawings, a device for anchoring one end piece of a cord wound up into a storage reel according to the present invention has been generally identified by reference numeral 1. In the following of the present description the term "cord" will be generally used both to identify a cord, that is a bundle of single elementary wires or strands differently twisted together, and a general elongated threadlike element, such as one of said strands for example. As discernible from said figure, the device is associated with a storage reel generally identified by reference numeral 2 and comprising a core 3 of cylindrical tubular structure. Two disc-shaped flanges 4 concentric with the core are associated with the opposite ends of said core. A cord 5 is wound up on said core 3 according to a predetermined tensional strength, which cord forms a plurality of coils 5a disposed in side by side relationship and overlapped pack-wise in the space bounded by the disc-shaped flanges 4. The foregoing being stated, the device provides that, in a manner known per se, at least one engagement seat 6 be formed at a circumferential edge 4a of at least one of the disc-shaped flanges 4. Said engagement seat 6 consists for example of a through hole, through which an end portion 7 of the cord 5 wound on the core 3 is inserted. The slidable engagement of the end portion 7 through the passage hole 6 enables the circumferential positioning of the end portion relative to the reel 2 to be fixed. The device also exhibits at least one clip generally denoted by 8, fastened to the outer surface of a disc-shaped flange 4 for securing the end piece 7a of the cord 5 thereto. In an original manner, the clip 8 is provided with a pair of supporting tabs 9 projecting, at positions disposed mutually in side by side relation, from the outer surface 4a of the disc-shaped flange 4. The supporting tabs 9 made for example by a punching operation carried out on the disc-shaped flange 4, define respective articulation seats 9a into which a pair of terminal appendages 10 operatively engage according to a pivot axis "X" parallel to the outer surface 4b of the flange 4. Said terminal appendages 10 form the end portions, at opposite positions, of an elastic threadlike element 11 preferably made of harmonic steel material, bent according to consecutively opposite portions 11a lying in a common plane disposed parallelly close to the outer surface 4b of the disc-shaped flange 4. More particularly, the sequence of the consecutively opposite portions 11a defines, in the extension of the elastic threadlike element 11, at least one retaining loop 12 extending substantially in a radial direction to the pivot axis "X", and at least one counter-loop 13 projecting radially from the pivot axis "X" on the opposite side from the retaining loop 12. In a preferential solution, at least one pair of retaining loops 12 disposed parallelly in side by side relation is provided in the extension of the threadlike element 11, the counter-loop 13 being disposed at a substantially centred position relative to the retaining loops. As clearly shown in Fig. 2, each of the retaining loops 12 lends itself to operatively engage the end piece 7a of the cord 5 and hold it against the outer surface 4b of the disc-shaped flange 4. In turn, the counter-loop 13 interacts in an abutment relation with the disc-shaped flange 4 in order to elastically counteract moving apart of the holding loops 12 from the outer surface 4b when the end piece 7a is fitted between the outer surface and holding loops themselves. In other words, the forced fitting of the end piece 7a between the outer surface 4b and holding loops 12 forces the latter to carry out an angular displacement about the pivot axis "X" of the terminal appendages 10. However, by effect of the action of the counter-loop 13 against the surface 4a, this angular displacement involves an elastic deformation along the threadlike element 11, the reaction of said deformation generating a friction between the end piece 7a, the outer surface 4b and the holding loops 12 which is sufficient to ensure the fixed clamping of the end piece 7a. Advantageously, the geometrical and dimensional parameters of the elastic threadlike element 11 are selected such as to ensure an excellent fastening of the end portion 7 without imposing too strong efforts and squashing localized along the threadlike element and on the end portion of the cord 5, respectively. In the connection, the threadlike element 11 is provided to have an overall linear extension included between 80 mm and 120 mm, its sectional profile having a diameter in the range of 1 mm to 1.5 mm. Each of the holding loops 12 is also provided to have an apex 12a spaced apart a distance included between 15 mm and 18 mm from the pivot axis "X". The counter-loop 13, in turn, has an apex 13a spaced apart a distance included between 5 and 10 mm from the pivot axis "X". The present invention achieves important advantages. In fact, the expedients adopted in manufacturing the clip associated with the device in question optimize the distribution of the inner efforts as compared to the clips of the prior art fastened by restrained fitting. As a result, the device of the invention has an improved reliability and enables the elimination of all problems of the known art resulting from frequent breakings of the clips which made practically impossible a subsequent reuse of the reels. In fact, on breaking of the clips, being the cord no longer clamped on the reel, the coils thereof were subjected to undoing and entangling and therefore it became necessary to wind up the cords again onto other reels before reusing them. In addition, the device of the invention, even in case of breaking, can be restored to use almost immediately by virtue of the easy replacement of the elastic threadlike element 11. On the contrary, in many of the known devices, due to the restrained fitting, the replacement of the clip when broken is rather complicated and can be done only at the reel production place. In fact for such a replacement it is necessary to act on the clipped edge of the disc-shaped flange for removal of the broken clip, and a new clipping operation is necessary for fastening of the new clip. It should be also recognized that the restoration to use of the device of the invention can be readily carried out even in case of breaking of one or both of the support tabs 9. In fact, said tabs lend themselves to be easily replaced by metal bushes or other articulation elements to be fixed to the outer surface 4b of the disc-shaped flange 4 by a welding operation. Such an operation, that can be readily executed even at places other than the reel production place, cannot be carried out when fastening of clips according to the known art is concerned, in that heat produced during welding would irreparably alter the elastic features of the harmonic steel of which said clips are made. It is now apparent that the invention is not limited to clamping of cords to the corresponding storage reels but it can be advantageously used for clamping of any threadlike or plate-like element to a given rest surface, by fitting of a portion of said threadlike element or an edge of said plate-like element between the clip and the corresponding rest surface. To the ends of the invention the presence of projecting tabs on said surface is not binding: in fact any types of holding means can be used, such as for example through holes or cavities formed in the thickness of the rest surface, provided that they are adapted to enable the engagement of a clip according to the invention in a rotatable manner about the pivot axis disposed parallel to said rest surface.

Claims: A storage reel in particular for cords and other similar threads, especially wires, comprising: a substantially cylindrical core, onto which at least one cord (5) is wound so as to form a plurality of coils disposed in side by side relation and overlapped pack-wise according to a predetermined tension; a pair of disc-shaped flanges (4) for holding said coils, disposed at the opposite ends of the core (3) and each exhibiting a circumferential edge (4a) concentric with the core itself; at least one engagement seat (6) formed close to said edge (4a) of at least one of said disc-shaped flanges (4) and arranged to slidably engage an end portion (7) of the cord (5) wound up onto the core (3), for fixing the circumferential positioning thereof relative to said reel (2); at least one clip (8) fastened to the outer surface (4b) of a disc-shaped flange (4) and arranged to engage an end piece (7a) of said cord (5) and secure it to the outer surface itself; comprising: a pair of supporting tabs (9) projecting from the outer surface (4b) of at least one of said disc-shaped flanges (4), at mutually facing positions, for pivotally mounting an appropriate clip, and a clip (8) comprising: a threadlike spring element (11) exhibiting a pair of terminal appendages (10) disposed at opposite positions and rotatably engaged, according to a pivot axis ("X") parallel to the outer surface (4b) of the flange (4), to corresponding articulation seats (9a) each arranged in one of said supporting tabs (9), said threadlike element (11) being bent according to consecutively opposite portions (11a) lying in a common plane disposed parallelly close to said outer surface (4b), in order to form: at least one retaining loop (12) extending substantially in a radial direction to the pivot axis ("X") and arranged to operatively engage the end piece (7a) of the cord (5) and secure it to the outer surface (4b) of the side flange (4); at least one counter-loop (13) projecting radially of the pivot axis ("X") on the opposite side from the retaining loop (12) and arranged to interact in opposition relationship against the disc-shaped flange (4) for elastically counteracting moving apart of the retaining loop from said outer surface (4b), following the insertion of the cord end piece (7a) between the outer surface and retaining loop themselves. A reel according to claim 1, wherein said threadlike spring element (11) is made of harmonic steel. A reel according to claim 1, wherein said threadlike element (11) exhibits at least two retaining loops (12), said counter-loop (13) being disposed at a substantially centred position relative to said retaining loops. A reel according to claim 3, wherein said threadlike spring element (11) exhibits an overall linear extension included between 80 mm and 120 mm. A reel according to claim 2, wherein said threadlike spring element (11) has a sectional profile of a diameter in the range of 1 to 1.5 mm. A reel according to claim 3, wherein said retaining loop (12) has an apex (12a) spaced apart a distance included between 15 mm and 18 mm from said pivot axis ("X"). A reel according to claim 6, wherein said counter-loop (13) has an apex (13a) spaced apart a distance included between 5 mm and 10 mm from said pivot axis ("X"). A device for clamping elongated or plate-like elements against a rest surface (4) for said elements, comprising: holding means (9) formed in said rest surface, at mutually facing positions, for engaging an appropriate clip to said surface, and a clip to be engaged to said holding means, comprising: a threadlike spring element (11) exhibiting a pair of terminal appendages (10) disposed at opposite positions and rotatably engaged, according to a pivot axis ("X") parallel to said rest surface (4), to corresponding seats (9a) arranged in said holding means (9), said threadlike element being bent along consecutively opposite portions (11a) lying in a common plane parallel to the plane of said rest surface in order to form: at least one retaining loop (12) extending substantially in a radial direction to the pivot axis ("X") and arranged to operatively engage said elongated or plate-like element and secure it to said rest surface (4b); at least one counter-loop (13) projecting radially of the pivot axis ("X") on the opposite side from the retaining loop (12) and arranged to interact in opposition relationship against said rest surface (4) for elastically counteracting moving apart of the retaining loop from said surface (4), following the insertion of the elongated or plate-like element between the rest surface (4) and retaining loop. A clip for clamping elongated or plate-like elements against a rest surface (4) for said elements, comprising: a threadlike spring element (11) exhibiting a pair of terminal appendages (10) disposed at opposite positions and according to a pivot axis ("X") parallel to said rest surface (4), for being rotatably engaged into corresponding holding means (9), formed in said rest surface at mutually facing positions, said threadlike element being bent according to consecutively opposite portions (11a) lying in a common plane parallel to the plane of said rest surface in order to form: at least one retaining loop (12) extending substantially in a radial direction to the pivot axis ("X") and arranged to operatively engage said elongated or plate-like element and secure it to said rest surface (4b); at least one counter-loop (13) projecting radially of the pivot axis ("X") on the opposite side from the retaining loop (12) and arranged to interact in opposition relationship against said rest surface (4) for elastically counteracting moving apart of the retaining loop from said surface (4), following the insertion of said elongated or plate-like element between the rest surface (4) and retaining loop.

Inventors: STOCCHI VASCO, STOCCHI, VASCO
Applicants: PIRELLI, PIRELLI COORDINAMENTO PNEUMATICI S.P.A.
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B65H75
IPC codes: B66D1, F16B2, B65H75, D07B7, B65H65